BlackBerry is Still the “Coolest Cellphone” in South Africa

PRETORIA, South Africa – In the latest edition of Sunday Times Generation Next 2012 Brand Survey Awards it was unveiled that BlackBerry phones still remaining popular and reputable in South Africa.

The phones from Research in Motion (RIM) earned top places in the following categories Coolest Brand Overall, Coolest Cellphone and Coolest High-Tech Gadget. This is the second year in a row that BlackBerry gains those awards, which shows that even if the brand is facing difficult times and dropping sales, it is still popular and respected in South Africa. One of the reasons behind this respect seems to be the fact that the BIS service of the phones provides virtually unlimited internet usage to mobile users across all networks, and no network offers an alternative currently. 

The popularity of BlackBerry, however, is not a one way road – from RIM who is also giving its respect to South Africa and the African continent with numerous events and programs. The recent one is to take place in the University of Pretoria, where the company is opening a BlackBerry Apps Lab in an attempt to “accelerate mobile application development in South Africa, thereby creating new economic opportunities and jobs in the mobile space”. This lab is a part of a network of RIM supported labs and events all over Africa and aimed at extending the popularity of its future mobile OS – BlackBerry 10.